FAMILY MONEY: In the absence of financial or practical support from the State, parents whowork outside the home are making the best of their situation, writes Clare O'Dea

For many women it is an unwritten rule that their career prospects diminish when they start a family. This generally means reduced participation in the workforce, but to what extent is this withdrawal voluntary, or can it be attributed to the limited provision and high costs of childcare services?

A new survey commissioned by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions may throw some light on this question. One in four women responding to the survey said they had not applied for promotional opportunities because of childminding responsibilities. Other impacts of parenthood included leaving the labour force for a period or moving out of an urban area due to childcare costs.

ICTU commissioned the survey to establish how union members were managing their childcare responsibilities in both formal and informal ways. The definition of childcare adopted for this research was that of children being minded by someone other than a parent or guardian while parents or guardians were working in paid employment.

The survey dealt with children in the 0-14 age group to take account of older children who might be in the "unminded" category. The research focused primarily on childcare practices during school term. Some 825 questionnaires were completed and returned by union members in a four-week period in October last year.

As anticipated by ICTU, the majority of survey respondents were female, with most in the 30s to early 40s age group. There were 1,534 children under 15 among the 825 respondents, an average of 1.9 children per respondent. Just under 6 per cent of respondents had children with special needs.

In an ideal world childcare responsibilities are shared between parents, but it is notable in this survey that very few males said they handled childcare responsibilities on their own - 3.3 per cent - compared to 16.2 per cent of all female respondents.

After availability, parents' biggest gripe with childcare provision is the financial burden. The most common range of weekly expenditure on childcare, among the respondents in this survey, was between €101.58 and €125.70.

Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the average expenditure on childcare between people working part-time and those working full-time.

The average hourly cost of childminding was €4.77, but 22 per cent of union members were paying more than €6.35 per hour, and 5 per cent were paying €12.70 per hour or more. Predictably, costs varied between formal and "informal" childminding arrangements. The average hourly cost for those using formally paid services was €5.21, compared to €4.58 in the "informal" sector.

Regarding the employer's role in childcare provision, the survey found that less than 2 per cent of respondents were in positions where childcare facilities were provided by the employer. Some 42 per cent of respondents felt that employers should subsidise the cost of childcare.

When asked how the Government should respond to current childcare needs, 62 per cent felt the State should provide tax relief for workers' expenditure on childcare.

There is very little data available on the different types of paid childcare being used by parents. This survey found that 71 per cent of those interviewed were using at least one type of paid childcare. Some 43 per cent of children were being cared for through "informally" paid childcare services.

This would consist mainly of non-registered childminders looking after children for cash in a home setting. Almost 35 per cent of all children were being minded through formally paid childcare services, including creches and self-employed childminders.

Community support is still a big factor. The remaining 22 per cent of all children were being minded through non-paid childcare services, such as family members, relatives, friends or neighbours.

Of the total number of hours of childminding utilised by the respondents, formally paid childcare services accounted for 40.8 per cent, and "informally" paid services accounted for 46.6 per cent.

Unpaid childminding accounted for 12.8 per cent of the total. On average, each child was minded for 23 hours per week. One in 10 of the total number of childminding hours was provided by crèches or nurseries.

Some child-minders are self-employed and offer a flexible childcare service in their home for a small number of children in a family setting. It seems clear from these findings that the majority work in the informal economy.

In the absence of financial or practical support from the State, parents who work outside the home are making the best of their situation. In a few months, parents will have the opportunity to choose from a new set of childcare promises at the ballot box.